WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Oakland loses late at Fort Wayne, 57-55

FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- Another buzzer-beating loss for the Oakland University women's basketball team, as the Grizzlies lost to Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, 57-55, on Erin Murphy's three-point play in the final seconds.

"We need to learn how to win games late," said Oakland head coach Beckie Francis. "While it hurts now, my hope is that we'll learn from these experiences."

Elizabeth Hamlet's layup with 31 seconds left put Oakland in front 55-54, before Murphy scored a three-point play to win the game for IPFW. The Golden Grizzlies (8-12, 2-6 Summit) had three attempts at a tying basket on the final possession, but could not force overtime.

Elena Popkey's 15 points led Oakland, as the Golden Grizzlies shot 40 percent from the floor and had three players in double-digits.

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Popkey scored 11 points in the second half, as OU began the half on a 19-3 run to erase a 22-18 halftime deficit. Sinclair Russell (Troy Athens) hit six free throws and equaled her career-high of 10 points. Zakiya Minifee added a season-high 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds to help OU earn a 37-28 rebounding edge.

Amanda Hyde led all players with 17 points, while Stefanie Mauk added 13 for Fort Wayne (7-13, 3-5). Murphy finished with 11, as IPFW shot 38.9 percent from the field and hit nine 3-pointers.

Olivia Nash finished with nine points and six rebounds. Her layup gave OU a 12-point lead with 11:27 left to play. Peyton Apsey scored all of her six points in the first half. Led by Russell and Minifee, the Oakland bench outscored the IPFW reserves 20-5.

Saturday marked the end of a three-game road swing for the Golden Grizzlies. Oakland returns to the Athletics Center O'rena to host Omaha on Saturday at 2 p.m.